Recent research suggests that most young people do not participate in enough exercise to reap health benefits. Recent technological advances, coupled with the reduction in the amount of time spent on physical education in schools, means that more and more children are involved in passive pursuits. However, games and physical activities are an important part of a child's life and constitute a crucial part of their health and well being.
Appropriate, regular physical activity in children can help to optimize physical fitness and current health and well being by promoting optimum growth, helping to prevent obesity, helping to reduce stress and anxiety, and helping to enhance self-esteem. A regular exercise regime also can help to develop active lifestyles that can be maintained throughout adult life. In fact, physically active children are more likely to be active adults, and active adults have a smaller risk of serious diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes.
In an effort to promote exercise among children and adults, skilled artisans have devoted considerable effort toward specialized exercise devices that are designed to not only promote exercise but also to make exercise comfortable and safe and that can be used in the home. Among the vast array of specialized exercise devices are specialized abdominal strengthening devices, arm strengthening devices, inner and outer thigh strengthening devices, devices designed to tighten and strengthen the gluteal muscles, and devices designed to strengthen the hand and wrists.
Maintaining proper hand and wrist strength is particularly important for preventing the onset of hand and wrist ailments, particularly carpal tunnel. As a result, the art is replete with many exercise devices that are particularly designed to strengthen the muscles of the hand, fingers, and wrist, primarily by the action of repeated hand gripping. Although skilled artisans have devoted considerable time and effort toward specialized hand and wrist strengthening devices, the results have not been entirely satisfactory. For example, known hand and wrist strengthening devices are difficult and expensive to construct, are not easy and comfortable to use, and are not designed to promote exercise among competitors. Given these and other disadvantages prevalent in the art of hand and wrist strengthening devices, the need for continued improvement is evident.